WESTCHESTER COUNTY, NY July 20, 2013 The Department of
Health has agreed to look into the USDA's questionable 'donations' of
geese flesh resulting from controversial 'culls' at airports, etc, which
is then being 'donated' to the Westchester Food Bank to put a nice
charitable spin on slaughters being challenged all over the country as
being pointless, totally avoidable and cruel. 'Culls' were just done at
the Jamaica Bay Wildlife 'Refuge,' as well as many other NYC areas and
in Cornwall, NY., and are being prepared for distribution now.

Far from being an altruistic gesture, the flesh of these birds is a
suspect, tainted morass of jet fuel, heavy applications of pesticides,
mercury and lead from roadways, concentrations of carbon monoxide from
heavy car traffic along parkways, and the ingestion of carbon dioxide
gas which is used to kill them. They drink appx a cup of water daily
from Long Island Sound, where beaches were just closed yet again due to
leaks of raw sewage sludge. Jean Grassman, associate professor of
health and nutrition sciences at Brooklyn College, said a big issue with
wild goose meat is a specific urban contaminant called polychlorinated
biphenyl, or PCB. “The concern is that they’re developmental
toxicants,” Grassman said. According to her, PCB levels are higher in
aquatic systems, which is to say environments frequented by waterfowl
like geese. .

In fact, this tainted flesh poses such an
incalculable health risk that it comes with a large 'Warning Label'
attached to it, cautioning poor people to eat it no more than once a
month!! which was admitted proudly to by the Westchester Food Bank's
own representative Jean Wilcox. Wilcox stated it 'flew out of our
inventory - so apparently they (the homeless) liked it.' By this
rationale, the Food Bank should be offering cigarettes, which are also
enjoyed by many many people. What Wilcox is saying is that poor people
who have no choice are happy to get anything - because this same flesh
is NOT sold in fancy restaurants to fancy people...and will Wilcox be
sitting down to this monthly meal herself? Wildcox was, however,
concerned about the poor 'chipping their teeth on birdshot - since,
according to Capital News, the other warning that came with the packaged
breast meat was that there was a possibility that it contained
birdshot—a type of shotgun shell, which could contain lead. The warning
continued on, said Wilcox, advising that to avoid chipping teeth or
swallowing the shell, anyone eating the meat should keep an eye out for
shells while cutting it. “Gee, thanks,” said Wilcox. “It makes you
terrified to chew on it.”

Is it 'okay' to serve the homeless
just 'a little' toxin' just a little poison, when they have no other
choice because they are poor. Why do we not just scrape the remains off
of restaurant plates and put it in a trough and feed that to the
homeless? Why don't we just feed poor people road kill? Because of
safety concerns...and human dignity as well.

This toxic flesh
is supposed to be tested by NYS before being distributed - and there
are doubts whether such testing, which can cost $100 per bird, is
always done. In fact, the Coalition for the Homeless' own director,
Mary Brosnahan, has spoken out vehemently against the practice of
dumping toxic, pointlessly killed flesh on the poor, saying, '"The
Coalition objects, in the strongest possible terms, to the plans by
officials to slaughter hundreds of New York City's Canada geese, and to
the use of homeless New Yorkers to achieve that end. The plan to feed
homeless people the potentially tainted carcasses of these birds through
a local soup kitchen or food bank sets a dangerous double standard in
which poor men, women and children will eat unregulated and
insufficiently inspected flesh. 'In addition to the incalculable moral
and ethical costs such needless killing entails, there is the federal
inspection and proper testing of the flesh for possible contaminants -
if that was even done. If not done, then Westchester food banks
participated in a dangerous double standard in which poor men, women and
children ate unregulated and insufficiently inspected flesh.'

Kiley Blackman, founder of Westchester4Geese who requested the Dept of
Health check into the viability of this item, said, 'We had contacted
the Food Bank a number of times to discuss this issue, and even offer
them matching donations of food and monies equivalent to whatever this
geese flesh would provide...unfortunately they won't even return phone
calls - and we're wondering why. There is no item sold in supermarkets,
or in restaurants, that comes with a large 'warning label' on it to only
eat it 'once a month.' If there's any suspicion at all, why aren't they
erring on the side of safety by just not accepting it? This 'donated'
toxin is being served to indigent children as well; children do not have
as fully developed immune system as adults do - which is why they're
more susceptible to the flu, etc - yet the USDA has no hesitation in
providing it to poor children. It just seems to be common sense that,
if there's the slightest doubt about the quality of this flesh, that it
should not be given out 'with a warning label,' as though that makes it
acceptable. It is possible that the inspection of this flesh - which is
quite costly - wasn't even done at all: This is an organization that
operates under the radar - The USDA is already under scrutiny for
massive cruelty to animals, as well as being the recipient of lawsuits
accusing them of discrimination - its not right that they get to put a
'band-aid' on their bad deeds, at the expense of people who are in
trouble, homeless and worse. I was poor once myself - and though you're
always thankful for a helping hand, I'm not sure if I would have
appreciated this one.'